Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-17
By WILLIAM PITTENGER, MEMBER OF THE EXPEDITION.

By WILLIAM PITTENGER,
 MEMBER OF THE EXPEDITION. Copyrighted, 1887, by War Publishing Co.,, N. Y.,
 and published by arrangement with them.]
 We were eager for this privilege, and he brought over the eight who were in the front room and placed them with us. We were now fourteen, including Capt. Fry, of East Tennessee fame, who was placed with us. There would have been much to talk about in our separate experiences in Knoxville and Chattanooga at any other time, but now the thought of the lost swallowed up everything else.
 At length some voice uggested-rather faintly at first, for only few hours be- fore it would have met keen ridicule- that it would be we'll for us to pray. The thought was warmly welcomed. Not the slightest objection was offered by any one, anu we at once all knelt. One member of tho party has lately told me that while he llnelt with the rest, and was careful to say nothing to discourage us, yet he never led in prayer, or said anything to indicate that he had changed his life purpose. did not notice the exception at the time, as every head was bowed and every face covered. Capt. Fry was first requested to lead us, which was peculiarly appro-
 
 consistent religious life, and now seemed to feel our great sorrow as if it were his own. He prayed with deep earnestness, strong sobs mingling with his fervent pe- titions. Then others led, and we con- tinued until all but the one already d. luded to had prayed ill turn; then those who had prayed before began again. There seemed to be some help in simply telling our trouble. On my own part, I do not think that there was a great deal of faith, at.least so far as temporal dcliv- erance was concerned, but there came a calmness and passing away of bitter ness that was restful to our tired hearts. We besought God mainly that he would prepare us for the fate that seemed inevitable, and that as he had led us into great trials, he would in some manner sustain us there. We kept on praying with but short intervals till the sun went down. As twilight deepened into darkness-the emblem of our own lives-so our petitions grew more solemn. God seemed nearer than ever before. In the darkness it appeared easier to behold the heavenly light. We began to ask for deliverance in this world as well as in the hour of death, and to have a hope, very faint and trembling, that it might be grant | ed Then little by little we began to profess | our purpose to live religious lives while we were spared, whether the time was | long or short 1 do not know that thclr was anything clear and definite in tl | way of conversion or sudden change O. the part of any; but when it is remem- | bered that in the forenoon we had amused ourselves by all kind of games, that pro- l fane words and jests were not uncommon, and that we would have been ashamed to speak of prayer or of religion in any way | except as a mere theory, it will be seen 1 that there was no slight alteration in us already From that hour date the birth of an immortal hope and new purpose in life. And in this experience am not solitary.
 It is an interesting fact, which the ra tionalist may explain as he will that from the time of that long prison prayer meet. ing-from early afternoon to midnight the fortunes of our party began to i'm prove There were fearful trials still be fore us, not much inferior to any that we had passed; we long held our lives by the frailest thread yet Il the close of the war, though many perished around us death did not claim another victim from our midst. We committed ourselves tt the Lord, not expecting deliverance 1T this world: and in his boundless mercy
 
 more tl:an we had dared to hope.
 Few things in our whole prison expert encc were more fearful than awakening the next morning. The chill light of { new day-thc dispelling of dreams thai may have been very pleasant, and have brought homo vividly before us-always made the morning hour the most dreary of the day. But on this occasion WI looked around and saw the places of oul friends vacant, and all the great sorrow of our bereavement again rolled over u like the incoming of the sea.
 But we wished to do something. 4 small Bible was borrowed from Mr. Fur ner when he came to bring our scant, breakfast-Mr. Thoer, who was alway with him to see that he gave us no undu indulgence, did not object-and then w had reading, singing and prayer-nearl, every one praying, so that it might rathe be called morning prayer meeting thai . tfamily worship" though the latter wa the title used. We now resolved to con r tinue this practice as long as our prisol life lasted.
 From this time forward we had relie , ious exercises morning and evening, an found them great consolation and suI port. They began and closed the da aright, and thus added sweetness to all it | iiouAo3 OuPp1J4uS tt OuDJOAo OA oAAON6hs AAN bearing directly upon our own gloom . prospects, and thus enabling us to maiI tain better mental health. We alway sung hymn or two on these occasion: Indeed there was nearly as much singh as at Chattanooga, but of far ciffereI and more inspiring character. Instead (
 ''Nettie More,' Carrier Dove' and sue harmless sentimentality, we sang "Roc of Ages," Jesus, Lover of My Soul, and others of pronounced spiritual cas- This greatly astonished the guards. The were given strict charge to watch | closely, with the statement that we wei
 the most desperate characters in the who
 United States; then to hear us sing Metl odist hymns, and to know that we Ina
 prayers, morning and evening, was co1
 tradiction they found it hard to reconcil
 Soon the story of the heroic death of or comrades and our own religious bearin was noised about Atlanta, and no doul # there were many expressions which ga,